Website not showing on Google? Here’s how to fix it.

There’s a difference between Google not knowing about your site and Google not ranking it. The fix is different for each, so start by finding out which one you have.

Type this into Google, replacing the domain with yours:

• “site:yourdomain.co.uk”

If you see a list of your pages, Google has indexed your site, and the problem is ranking. If you see nothing, or only one or two pages, the problem is indexing. Most of the steps below are about indexing first, because nothing ranks until it’s indexed.

Google Search Console is free, and it’s the only reliable way to see your site the way Google does. If you do only one thing from this guide, do this:

• Go to Google Search Console and add your site. The “Domain” option covers every version of your address.
• Verify that you own it, usually by adding a TXT record to your domain’s DNS settings.
• Wait a day or two for data to appear.

Search Console shows which pages are indexed, which aren’t and why, which searches you appear for, and any problems Google has found. Without it, you’re guessing.

A sitemap is a list of all the pages on your site that you want Google to find. Most website builders and content management systems create one automatically, usually at “/sitemap.xml”.

In Search Console, open Sitemaps, enter “sitemap.xml” and submit it. Then check back a few days later. It should say “Success” and show how many pages it found.

You can also use URL Inspection to request indexing for your most important pages: your homepage, main services and contact page. There’s a daily limit, so start with the pages that matter most.

Sometimes a site is accidentally telling Google to stay away. These are the most common culprits:

• A noindex tag. Many builders and WordPress have a setting such as “discourage search engines” or “hide from search”. It’s often switched on while a site is being built and never switched off.
• robots.txt blocking the site. If your robots.txt file contains “Disallow: /” for all user agents, Google won’t crawl anything.
• Password protection or a “coming soon” page left on after launch.
• Wrong canonical tags that point every page at another address.
• Redirect loops or errors that stop Google reaching the page.

Search Console’s Pages report lists the reason each page isn’t indexed, such as “Excluded by noindex tag” or “Blocked by robots.txt”. Fix the cause, then request indexing again.

If your site or domain is brand new, be patient. It commonly takes days to a few weeks for Google to discover and index a new site, and longer before it ranks well, because Google has little reason to trust it yet.

You can help it along:

• Link to your website from your Google Business Profile, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.
• Ask suppliers, partners or local organisations you work with to link to you.
• Make sure every page is linked from at least one other page on your site, so nothing is orphaned.

Avoid shortcuts such as buying links or publishing lots of near-identical pages. They can do lasting harm.

If “site:” shows your pages but you still can’t find yourself, it’s a ranking problem. Common causes:

• Thin pages. A homepage with two sentences won’t compete. Each main service deserves its own page that explains what you do, where, prices, and answers common questions.
• No location signals. For local businesses, mention the towns you serve naturally and make sure your address and phone number match your Google Business Profile.
• Slow or broken mobile pages. Most searches happen on phones.
• Strong competition. Broad searches like “web design London” are very competitive. Specific ones like “nail salon East Molesey” are far easier.

Our guide to local SEO explains how to rank for searches in your area.

For many local searches, Google shows a map with three businesses above the normal results. Those come from Google Business Profiles, not websites. If you serve customers locally, a complete, verified profile is often the fastest way to appear on Google at all.

Follow the steps in our Google Business Profile guide, and link the profile to your website.

• “site:yourdomain” shows your pages.
• Search Console is set up and verified.
• Your sitemap is submitted and reads “Success”.
• No noindex tags, robots.txt blocks or passwords on live pages.
• Every page is linked from somewhere else on your site.
• Each service has its own useful page.
• Your Google Business Profile is verified and links to your site.

If you’ve worked through this and you’re still stuck, my local SEO service includes a technical check and fixes, from £249 for a one-off Google profile set-up.

Imagine a new salon website that launched a fortnight ago and doesn’t appear when you search its name. Working through the steps:

• site: search shows only the homepage, so most pages aren’t indexed yet.
• Search Console shows no sitemap submitted. Submitting it lists twelve pages.
• The Pages report shows two pages “Excluded by noindex tag”: the builder’s “hide from search” setting was still on for those pages.
• The fix: switch the setting off, request indexing for the homepage and services page, and add the website link to the Google Business Profile.

Within a few weeks, the pages are indexed and the salon appears for its name. Ranking for “salon” plus the town takes longer, and depends on reviews and content.

• Changing your domain or page addresses without redirects, which resets what Google knows.
• Publishing many near-identical pages, for example the same text with only the town name changed.
• Buying cheap backlinks that can harm trust.
• Constantly resubmitting the same pages. Once is enough; then give it time.